Esther Cañadas recalls surviving on white rice during her early modeling years

Esther Cañadas remembers a stark routine from the beginning of her modeling career: “For years, I only had white rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” She shared the recollection during an interview on the television program El Hormiguero.

Cañadas had moved to Barcelona at 15 to pursue work in the fashion industry. Living on her own, she lacked the experience to manage many everyday tasks, including preparing meals. Rice was one of the few dishes she knew how to cook, so she repeatedly turned to it between travel, photo shoots and professional commitments.

At 1.79 meters tall, she said the simple meal filled her up and kept her at the weight needed to be considered by international brands. Her story, however, was not presented simply as a formula for maintaining a modeling figure. Cañadas said food had always been an important subject for her because many women experienced serious eating-related problems.

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For years, I only had white rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Looking back, she came to understand that having a conventionally admired body was not enough. She also needed to be healthy. “I was always very aware that I had a responsibility,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. She said public discussion at the time focused heavily on weight loss, and she wanted to make clear that she did eat so young people would not receive the wrong message.

Cañadas now has more than 174,000 followers on social media, where she shares fashion work and messages about caring for the body and mind. In a recent post, she defined self-love as appreciating, respecting and valuing oneself while recognizing personal needs and setting healthy boundaries.

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I was always very aware that I had a responsibility.